Page Sound: Waves and wind on Lake Desor in May  

Site Overview

      Welcome to the Isle Royale Info site.  This site is dedicated to providing information about Isle Royale National Park located in Lake Superior.  It is meant to be a complete reference for anyone wanting to go there, or just know more about Isle Royale.  First of all, I am neither employed nor affiliated with Isle Royale National park or any official or commercial organization related to the park.  For official information on the park, go to the National Park Service website at: www.nps.gov/isro.  The second first of all, is that all of the information presented is to the best of my knowledge and I cannot take responsibility for what you or anyone else does with it.  I am in no way responsible for personal injury, damage to property, or violation of the law in connection with use of this document.  I have enough to do just taking care of myself.  That being said, I hope you find this site useful.  If you have any comments and/or suggestions, feel free to email me at: contact@isleroyale.info

      I have been to the island of Isle Royale almost twenty times now.  It has made an indelible mark on my life and consciousness.  Its wild desolate beauty leaves a feeling you can never forget.  To be in a place, miles from civilization, without the existence of a  phone, with only what you are carrying to survive with, is something that can only be experienced.  The variety of plants and terrain that can be seen by merely heading in a different direction, or simply walking on, is quite unique.  From the bare weathered rocky North shore to swamplands, high ridges, to numerous lakes and islands, the island has it all.  The animals present on the island, are moose, beaver, snowshoe hares, squirrels, fox, wolves, ducks, loons and various bird species.  You are almost guaranteed to see moose and fox.  If you are lucky, you might hear the wolves, and if very lucky, you might even see one (they will see you).

      This site is based around my book, "Isle Royale Info - A Comprehensive Guide to Isle Royale National Park", which was initially released on January 15th, 2011.  Several sections of this book are available here as web pages for your use.  There are several other sections that are just samples of what that section is like and a couple of sections that are not shown, due to space.  The book itself will be available as a downloadable PDF, a DVD containing an electronic version and hi-resolution photographs and a few other configurations.  Go to the "Isle Royale INFO Store" for details and pricing.  The sections contained on the site will show hyper-links in "bold-italic".  In the electronic document, these link to directly to the topic in the document.  These will not function on the website.  All of the pictures, maps and charts also contain a hyper-link to a hi-resolution copy.  These also do not function on the website.  The pictures in the left hand corner are a random slideshow of pictures from the book in a small size. 

        Menu Description:    (Left-Click on the topic box to go there, or select from the menu on the left)

This page.

A complete listing of the entire table of contents from the book.  This shows every section included in the book and the details of that section.  Some of the sections on this website are only samples of what is in the entire book.

Details on me, legal stuff, thank yous, my trips to the island, how the book is laid out, a park map and various details on how I described trails, campsites, portages, etc.  This is the entire section from the book.

A general description of Isle Royale National Park, park information, island amenities, drinking water, campfires, hiking, shelters, outhouses, wildlife, park visitaton, weather, garbage, bugs, back country camping, fishing and more.  This is the entire section from the book.

This section of the book provides a detailed description of all of the long trails on the island.  The samples available on this site include a chart and map of the long trails and a sample of the books description for the Feldtmann Ridge Trail and the beginning of the Greenstone Ridge Trail. 

This section of the book provides a detailed description of all of the short trails on the island.  The samples available on this site include a chart and map of the short trails and a sample of a few of the books descriptions of the short trails. 

This section of the book provides a detailed description of all of the campgrounds on the island.  The samples available on this site includes a chart of the campgrounds and a sample of a few of the books descriptions of the campgrounds. 

This section of the book provides a detailed description of many of the points of interest on the island.  These include mine sites, town sites, physical features, lighthouses and many other locations.  The samples available on this site includes a sample of a few of the books descriptions of points of interest. 

This section of the book provides a detailed description of several portages on the island and a general description of all of the marked portages.  This is not a complete detailed description as I have just started canoeing on the island in the past few years.  However, there are quite a few with my descriptions and all of the marked portages are included.  The samples available on this site include a sample of a few of the books descriptions of portages. 

This section of the book provides a general description of some of the wildlife on the island.  It is not scientific and it is not meant to be.  It is only my impressions and interactions with wildlife.  The samples available on this site include a sample of a few of the books descriptions of wildlife. 

This section of the book provides a detailed listing of various contact information for sites and businesses related to the island, the surrounding area and getting there.  This includes phone numbers, websites, email, addresses and other information for such things as cities, hotels, transportation, weather, restaurants, outfitters, stores, camping, park information and other things related to going to the island.  This is the entire section from the book.

This section of the book provides details on the boats and planes providing service to the island, along with descriptions, operation dates, routes, times, approximate costs and more.  This is the entire section from the book.

This section of the book provides several reference charts.  They are in a separate section to make it easy to pull them out of the book, or print them out easily, to take them with you to the island.  They include a chart of GPS coordinates, a trail milelage chart, a chart of the long trails, a chart of the short trails and a chart of the campgrounds.  The sample available on this site is a chart of GPS coordinates. 

The Isle Royale Journals are the notes that I took while visiting the park, along with the stories of the trips.  They are taken directly from the journals I maintain while on the island.  As part of my journals, I record details on the trails or water routes, campsites and other details.  These, for the most part, are not included in these journals.  At this point, only two are complete and in released form.  These are available to read online, or to download as a PDF file or a "zip" file with hi-resolution photographs.  The others are simply trip reports in a rough form. 
A discussion board for topics related to the park.  This was originally hosted on this site, but is now hosted on another site and run by someone else. It is monitored by many people who have been to the island, or who are planning to go.  It is the best place to ask any questions you might have or read answers to questions that people have asked before.  You will get a variety of opinions and experiences there.  It is the best place to post questions and get answers quickly.  I do not have time to answer all the questions I get, and on the web board, you will find a wealth of experience and knowledge.
Information on purchasing this book in many forms and other items related to Isle Royale.  This includes a laminated trail chart, a couple of things for backpacking, a movie, a picture, the Isle Royale Journals and a couple of other items.  This is currently a short list of items, but will soon be expanding.

The history of this site and the archives from the site before it was redesigned.  This includes the original "Picture of the Week" photos, "Trip Reports" and "Trip Logs" that were hosted here. 
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